Abstract

"China’s engagement in Africa is an increasingly popular topic in the 21st century.
However, not much attention has been paid in the field of education and little
evidence can be seen in what actually happens on the ground. This article aims
to explore China’s educational aid to Africa, from both textual and fieldwork
sources. It will focus on three parts: first, the existing recognition of Chinese
distinctions in foreign aid and China’s donor logic based on “win-win” strategies;
second, an argument that China’s donor logic in educational aid might
be informed by producing soft power through “public diplomacy”; third,
a discussion of people’s perception collected in Tanzania, including
voices from officials and returning African students. The article will
take China’s main educational approach, the Government Scholarship Scheme
as an example, and look at how this educational practice has been processed
in a “diplomatic” way. It is concluded that China’s educational aid and its
features in practice, based upon diplomatic policies and China’s distinctive
donor logic of foreign aid, is serving bilateral relations rather than orthodox
aid relations. If quality transformation and communication can be
maintained in the Chinese universities, education would contribute to
a lasting and cooperative relationship between China and Africa. It may
add more complexities to “soft power” within broader conceptions under
the contemporary global political economy."

Item Type:

Article

Additional Information and Comments:

"This is the author's post peer review version of an article, the final version of which is published in the China: An International Journal, DOI: 10.1353/chn.2014.0015
"